Machinists Union Golf Tournament Raises $11,000 for Charity

REDMOND – The 21st annual Guide Dogs of America Golf Tournament raised more than $11,000 for the California-based charity.

The annual event is sponsored by Machinists Union District Lodge 751. This year it was held on July 15 at Willows Run golf course in Redmond.

The team of Ken Lorentzen, Jeff Johnson, Stosh Tomala and Jason Wobbrock won the best-ball tournament after a one-hole playoff.

Union member Ryan Gjersee carded a hole-in-one during the tournament.

In all, more than 180 golfers came out for the event, which was spread over two of the courses at Willows Run: Coyote Creek and Eagle’s Talon.

“We had a lot of support from our volunteers and some great sponsors,” said Jon Holden, the District 751 business representative who led the tournament organizing committee. “Thanks to them, and the staff at Willows Run, we had a really good time while raising money for a truly great cause.”

District 751 is the top-fundraiser in North America for Guide Dogs of America, a charity that provides service dogs free of charge to people who are blind or who have impaired vision from across the United States and Canada.

So far this summer, the union has raised more than $51,000 with a series of community events, which included a poker tournament, a fun run, a motorcycle poker run and raffle prize drawings.

The union plans three more community fundraising events this summer:

• Local 751-E’s ninth annual Shoes for Puppies horseshoes tournament is at noon Saturday at the Red Dog Saloon near Renton, 18605 S.E. Renton-Maple Valley Road;
• Local 751-A’s eighth annual Bill Baker Memorial Steel & Wheel SuperShow is Aug. 11 at District 751’s Everett Union Hall, 8729 Airport Road; and
• The annual “Dog Days” drag racing event at Pacific Raceways in Kent will be Aug. 17-19, with discount tickets on sale at the District 751 union halls in Auburn, Everett, Renton and Seattle.

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Originally formed in 1935 to represent hourly workers at the Boeing Co., District Lodge 751 of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers now represents some 32,000 working men and women at 48 employers in Washington, Oregon and California. In 2011, members of the union’s Machinists Volunteer Program donated more than 10,000 hours to community service work, while other volunteers raised more than $263,000 for Guide Dogs of America, the union’s charity of choice.

To learn more about District 751, read the Machinists News.